


What Friends Are For

by OwlsWithFins



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Draco and Harry are oblivious idiots (as usual), Drarry, Getting Together, Humor, Kissing, M/M, Pansy and Hermione (independently of each other) decide it's time someone told them, Prompt Fic, Tumblr Prompt, but it takes two more to realize you've been dancing around each other your entire fucking lives, it may take two to tango
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-21
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-06-30 10:07:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15749514
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OwlsWithFins/pseuds/OwlsWithFins
Summary: It should have been love at first sight, really, but Potter's vision is shit, and Draco...well, Draco doesn't have an excuse. He's just lucky Pansy's not quite so oblivious.





	What Friends Are For

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, this is based on a prompt I received like forever ago but only now got around to writing. Hope ya like it!

The snickering was the first hint that something was off.

“Hey, Potter,” Draco sneered, tossing a ball of paper at the back of his head. “Did you let that oaf Hagrid do your hair, or was it cursed that way?”

Potter glanced up from the Potions assignment he was scowling at. “Maybe I just have more important things to worry about than my hair. Apparently, you don’t. Or do you just like ogling me from across the room?”

The class broke into laughter, but before Draco could respond, Professor Slughorn silenced them to start the lesson. Draco felt his face go red when he noticed the way students would periodically look back at him and giggle.

After class, he whined to Pansy, “Was it something I said?”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure you’ll figure it out sooner or later.” Then she tilted her head to the side. “Or maybe not. Let’s just give it some time, shall we?” With that, she led him to the common room. Draco glared at everyone they passed along the way.

 

The second hint was the sympathy. Or rather, the pity.

“Is it just me, or has Potter been even more inept than usual?” Draco was lying on the couch in Slytherin, staring up at the ceiling. His feet were in Blaise’s lap and his hands in Pansy’s hair while she sat on the floor beside him. “He nearly killed Weasley yesterday with his botched potion.”

Blaise gave him a sad pat on the thigh. Draco lifted his head to send him a puzzled expression. “He would have been doing us all a favor,” Draco added, in case the comfort was in response to Weasley’s potential death. Blaise just shook his head regretfully, and Pansy gave a long-suffering sigh. Draco narrowed his eyes at them both.

 

The final straw was when Potter started acting strangely, too.

“Hello, Potter,” Draco said, sauntering up to the Gryffindor. “Where are your adoring fans? Finally got tired of the Chosen One?”

Potter’s eyes were glazed over like he was in deep thought, but they cleared when Draco spoke. “Hey, Malfoy.”

Draco blinked. “That’s all you have to say?”

Potter shrugged. “Sorry, I’ve just got a lot on my mind right now. Can we do this later?”

Draco’s mouth opened and closed. “Er, I suppose so.”

Potter gave him a small smile and walked off, already lost in his own head again. Draco gaped. He was beginning to wonder if his mind was playing tricks on him--or perhaps it was everyone else who’d gone mad. In either case, there was only one thing left to do.

 

Draco found Pansy in the Slytherin Common Room. Her eyes flashed with panic when they met his, but he dragged her up to his dormitory and crossed his arms. The fact that she was dreading this conversation only made him more adamant that now was the time to have it. “Spill.”

She feigned innocence. “About what, Draco?”

“You know what. Everyone’s gone bonkers for some reason. When I make fun of Potter, everyone laughs at me, and when I insult him, you and Blaise look at me like I’m suffering from a blood curse. Now even Potter’s acting strange!”

Pansy winced. “Potter knows too? I was hoping he was just as oblivious as you are.”

“Knows _what_?” Draco screeched.

Pansy paused, considering how best to proceed. “Draco, what color are Potter’s eyes?”

“Green,” he said immediately. Everyone knew what color Potter’s eyes were. They were the most startling emerald Draco had ever seen--would be even more if he didn’t have those hideous glasses.

“What color are Daphne’s eyes?”

Draco thought back on it. “Er...hazel?”

“Wrong. How about Potter’s favorite dessert?”

“Treacle tart.” Draco rolled his eyes. “Pans, I really don’t see what any of this has got to do with the problem at hand.”

She held up a finger. “What’s Blaise’s favorite dessert?”

Draco’s brows furrowed. “Pudding?”

“Wrong again.”

“So I’m a shitty friend. Is that what you’re trying to tell me?”

Pansy just raised her brows. “What’s Potter’s second hour class?”

“Transfiguration,” he answered impatiently. He was rapidly tiring of this game.

Pansy threw her hands in the air. “You don’t even have Transfiguration with him! How in Merlin’s name do you know that?”

“I follow him around sometimes,” Draco said defensively. “Keep your enemies close and all that.”

Pansy pointed accusingly. “That. That right there is your problem.”

“The stalking thing? Because we’ve been over this, Pansy. He can’t be the perfect Golden Boy all the time. It’s up to me to catch him when he makes a mistake.”

Pansy groaned and collapsed on the bed. “No, not that, although I’m still pretty sure that’s not your responsibility. What I meant was, you keep him _too_ close.”

Draco scoffed. “Know thy enemy is practically the golden rule of Slytherin, Pans.”

“What exactly do you gain from knowing his favorite dessert, Draco?”

Draco stood up straighter. “What if I want to poison him?”

“But you haven’t poisoned him,” Pansy said as patiently as she could manage. “Or hurt him much at all really. You just follow him around, and try to get his attention, and pin him against walls for fuck’s sake. Not to mention you talk about him literally all the time.”

“I still don’t see where this is going.”

Pansy took a deep breath. “What I’m trying to say is that it _seems_ like you don’t hate him nearly as much as you say you do.” She looked sharply at Draco when he opened his mouth to protest. “Let me finish--and don’t you dare hex me, because you asked for this.” She placed a pillow between them like a shield just in case.

Before she could enlighten him, however, Draco said, “Holy Salazar. You lot think I’ve got a bloody crush on him!”

Pansy opened her eyes, relieved that he’d been the one to say it. “Finally,” she muttered.

Draco, on the other hand, wasn’t at all pleased with this turn of events. “What the actual fuck, Pansy?!?!?” He started pacing the room, a crazed look in his eye. “A crush??? On _Potter_???”

“Draco, stop freaking out and just think about it for a second.”

Draco looked at her like she’d asked him to voluntarily walk into Fiendfyre. “Pansy, don’t be ridiculous--”

“Draco, just do it.” He stubbornly ignored her. “If we’re wrong, then you have nothing to lose.” He heard the unspoken message in her words--if they were wrong, it was no problem at all...but if they were right? He was totally and unequivocally fucked.

Never one to back down from a challenge, however, he stopped pacing and did as he was told. After a few moments, he paled. “Dear Merlin, you’re right.” He dropped onto the bed beside Pansy, staring at the ground but not seeing anything. “Holy fuck, you’re _right_. How did I not realize it before? Why didn’t you _tell_ me???”

Pansy shrugged helplessly. “We all hoped you’d figure it out on your own.”

“All?!?! That’s what all the snickering was about? And the pitying looks? You’ve all known all along, and no one told me???”

“Um, yes?”

Draco wanted to curse someone, or perhaps get another hippogriff sentenced to death. He wouldn’t have even minded being the one to execute it. Instead, his brows furrowed, and he looked almost sane for a moment. “So that explains the first two problems...but what about Potter?”

Pansy’s sat up on the bed, intrigued. “When you said he was acting strangely, I thought you meant he was in on it too. I take it that’s not the case?”

Draco frowned. “I don’t think so. He was distracted. Like he had more important things to do than fight with me. And then--I might have imagined it, but I could have sworn he _smiled_. What is that supposed to mean?”

Pansy shook her head slowly. “I have no idea. You could try talking to him?”

“No...” Draco said slowly, thinking to himself. “No, that doesn’t sound like me at all.” He perked up a bit. “I’ll just follow him until I figure out what’s been on his mind.”

Pansy sighed, face dropping into her palm. “Perfect.”

 

Potter was walking to the Gryffindor Common Room with Granger when Draco spotted him. Careful to keep his footsteps light, he followed about twenty paces behind. He’d gotten good at moving silently over the years, but he made sure to walk in step with Potter just in case. When the Gryffindors stopped in the middle of the corridor, Draco ducked into the nearest alcove.

“I don’t know, ‘Mione.” Potter ran a hand through his hair. “All I know is this is a lot to take in. What’s Ginny going to think?” When Granger didn’t respond, Potter stared at her. “She knew too? She’s my girlfriend! You’d think she’d have the decency to tell me I’m...that I’m...” He trailed off, looking desperate, breathless, and slightly ill.

“Gay?” Granger offered quietly. Draco held his breath, waiting for Potter to deny it--to tell Granger off for such a ridiculous accusation.

But Potter merely deflated. “Yeah.” He scuffed the stone floor with his shoe. “I just wish someone had told me.”

“That’s really the sort of thing you’re supposed to figure out on your own.”

Draco scowled at the accidental insult to his own deductive skills. Potter laughed. “Yeah, well I’ve never been very good at doing things on my own.” He sobered and gave her a look full of so much emotion that Draco felt like he was intruding on something he shouldn’t. “I don’t know what I’d do without you, Hermione.”

Draco tried to slip away, but his robe got caught on the suit of armor beside him, and the metal came crashing to the ground. “Shit.” He was still out of view, so he hoped beyond hope that Potter and Granger just ignored it and went on their merry way. When he heard footsteps, he cursed his rotten luck and recovered as best he could, straightening his spine and dusting off his robes.

“Malfoy?” Potter said, brows scrunched up behind his glasses.

“Hello, Potter. Fancy seeing you here.” Draco knew he must have been blushing bright red, but he kept his features expressionless.

Potter eyed him carefully before turning and making a dismissive gesture. Draco realized he was telling Granger to shoo. There was a pause and then the sound of her footsteps receding. They were alone.

“So did you sort out whatever was distracting you?” Draco asked with forced nonchalance. “I can’t be bothered to waste my energy insulting someone who won’t give me the time of day.”

Potter’s lips quirked up, and it took everything in Draco not to faint right there. How had he not realized how bloody attractive Potter was when he smiled? He supposed Potter didn’t give him many smiles. Merlin, did he want that to change. “You know, I think I did,” Potter replied, sounding certain of himself. “It took a while, but now...” He shrugged. “I’m all yours.”

Draco stared at him, the words not making sense in his brain.

“Malfoy? This is the point when you’re supposed to insult me--”

Draco clearly disagreed, because his lips were on Potter’s and his hands were wrapped up in his robes and then Potter was kissing him back and _holy fucking Merlin,_ everyone was _right_. Why on earth had they been fighting all these years when they could have been doing this?

After a few moments, they broke apart, staring at each other in shock.

“Did we just--”

“Yeah.”

“That was--”

“I know.”

“Can we--”

“Merlin, yes.”

And then they were kissing again. When they separated this time, Potter leaned against the wall to catch his breath. As he did, his eyes narrowed. “Malfoy, were you spying on me?” Draco gave him his best ‘really-Potter-that’s-what-you’re-thinking-about?’ look. Potter sighed. “So you heard how literally everyone figured out I was gay before I did?”

“Not everyone,” Draco offered. “I didn’t know until just now.” He glanced at the floor awkwardly. “And er, Pansy gave me the same talk about half an hour ago.”

Potter looked at him in surprise and then burst into laughter. “Blimey, we really are oblivious, aren’t we?”

Draco cracked up. “I suppose so. It turned out alright in the end, though, didn’t it?”

Potter smiled one of those heartstopping smiles and held out his hand. “Yes, it did.”

Draco stared at it for a moment, thinking back to the extended hand that started it all, before intertwining their fingers. Warmth flowed up from the contact. He fought off a smile.

They were about halfway down the corridor when Draco turned to look at Potter. “Aren’t you still dating the Weaslette?”

Potter tilted his head. “You know, I’m pretty sure we have her blessing. I’ll talk to her though--just as soon as I write Hermione a thank you note.” Glancing up at Draco, he added, “And maybe Parkinson too.”

Draco rolled his eyes. “Dear Granger, Whatever can I do to repay your kindness? Your efforts to explain to Potter that he’s secretly in love with me led to some spectacular snogging that I will never forget. Sincerely, Draco.”

Harry grinned. “Dear Parkinson, I am forever indebted to you for helping Malfoy see how bloody perfect we are for each other. Thanks for everything, Harry.”

“Dear Pansy, thank you for ending our frankly ridiculous cycle of blockheadedness. We will think of you fondly every time we shag. Yours truly, Draco.”

“Dear Hermione, I appreciate everything you’ve done for me--particularly the time when you pointed out how fucking gay I am for Malfoy. That was very considerate of you. Harry.”

Draco spun in front of Potter, stopping them both in their tracks. “Now that all that planning is out of the way...”

The Gryffindor grinned and wrapped his arms around Draco’s waist, brushing their lips together softly. “Is this what you had in mind?”

Draco smirked, loosening Potter’s tie and pushing him into the nearest empty classroom. “Something like that.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Leave your thoughts below and follow me at owlswithfins.tumblr.com for more Drarry goodness <3


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